Atara – Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007 morningObservers: Noam D., Nava E. (reporting)The road to Atara 6:30 – It’s been 4 months since we observed checkpoint Atara, which overlooksthe northern entrance to Bir Zeit & Ramallah. We decided to check outthe situation.The checkpoint is 55 kms from Jerusalem and when it was first set up,there were terrible traffic jams lasting hours, when hundreds ofminibuses and cars jammed the 300 meters stretching from highway 60 tothe checkpoint, and this blocked highway 60 itself.Atara 7:30 – When we arrive there is no line, 5 cars are waiting and pass througheasily one after the other. After 10 minutes, apparently because ofa checking , the flow of traffic sloweddown, and within seconds there was a line of 30 cars.Within 5 minutes, there was a jam of some 100 minibuses whichthreatened to spill over onto Highway 60.Suddenly two jeeps full of reserve soldiers showed up and the soldiers started directing the cars arriving fromHighway 60,from the right (from Jerusalem), and from the left (from Tel Aviv). The commander, a reserveinfantryman, with a high rank (colonel) laughed and commented that nowthe job of the Israeli fighters is to be a ‘traffic cop’. According tohim there is a terrible danger in case the main highway is jammed,because then an Israeli car (“belonging to settlers, visitors, plaincitizens, like you”) can be swallowed up in a sea of Palestinian cars– and the driver will find himself in a life-threatening situation.He was interested in our opinions, and if we think the solution tothis situation lies in a total separation and the removal of one ofthe populations from the area. His friend, who was wearing a knittedkippa, looked eager to declare his view of which side shoulddisappear, but Noam was quick to clarify that she thinks that theIsraelis are superfluous in the area. We didn’t get into an argument,and the commander summed up the subject by saying ‘a wolf lives withthe sheep’ and “how good it will be if we can simply live together sideby side without problems.” I pointed to his rifle, and said that it seems as if his dream will come true only when we get to Paradise.We waited another half an hour; until the reservists managed todisperse the traffic jam and left. A new traffic jam started forming anddispersing on its own. It was time to return home. With all the good will, there was nothing for us to do here.We hope that our Captains of Security will finally realize that thischeckpoint is totally unnecessary, and there is no need to check studentsgoing to the university or tradesmen going to Ramallah to earn aliving.